Let beating hearts keep beating

Recent opinions about impending Iowa legislation protecting preborn life from a “heartbeat” to childbirth prompted outcries.

Reproductive rights advocates and medical programs at the University of Iowa claim to be threatened. So excepting to save the life of a mother, should such programs continue to be taught to safely kill? Traditionally doctors vowed to do no harm. If we, our medical industry and lawmakers cannot amend our values, teaching and practices to support life among the most helpless humans, then we have become heartless.

How tragic when “reproductive rights” supersede an unborn baby’s right to “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” I applaud legislative measures that assume a heartbeat means life to be legally protected. A person who has a heartbeat has a heart, and one who has a heart is a human being.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “How can the dream survive if we murder the children?” Abortion begins the ultimate abuse, discrimination and destruction of human life.

If there is any outcry, it should be mourning for nearly 20 percent loss of the past two generations. We all began with conception and a heart. May all who have a heart please let beating hearts still beat.

— Tim Bickel, Cedar Rapids

America thrives on the idealism of youth

Unfortunately, there are many who think that young people have no right to express their opinions because they do not have real world experience [Time for students to get off the cameras]. Fortunately, many of our Revolutionary War leaders spoke up even though they were young.

We must also be thankful for the energy of young people during the Vietnam War protests as well as the work for civil rights.

Our country could not provide the democracy our founders envisioned without the idealism of youth.

— Julie Stewart Ziesman, Waukee

Tolls would encourage trucks to get off interstate

Whether Interstate Highway 80 becomes a toll road or not, the elephant in the room is the decision, first, to allow large trucks to use it and, second, the later decision to increase weight limits. The first has resulted in a dangerous glut of heavy trucks, particularly between Iowa City and Des Moines. The second decision means that constant battering by these overweight behemoths degrades both the road surface and the underlying structures.

The greatest benefit of tolls would be to encourage these huge rigs to use alternative routes, like U.S. Highway 30 or U.S. Highway 20, to cross Iowa.

In the meantime, we should take steps to reduce the danger such trucks pose to Iowa drivers. These should include limiting trucks to 65 miles per hour and confining them to the right lane on two-lane interstates. This would allow drivers to avoid facing one truck trying to pass another on a hill. Failing this, the Grinnell rest areas, which are on a hill, should be closed to trucks in favor of safer sites at Mitchellville and Altoona. If the governor and Legislature object to tolls, then they should revisit the decisions that have made Interstate 80 across Iowa "Truck Route One."

Choosing to carry or terminate a pregnancy is such a private decision. We all have different religious beliefs and reasons for making the decision we choose.

What is important is that women have the right to choose. We do not need anyone else or the government determining that choice. I am happy Mr. Vander Plaats' wife made the correct decision for her beliefs. I would like him and the politicians to let the rest of us make choices according to ours.

— Ann Balentine, Des Moines

Andy McGuire treats Iowans with compassion

When I first met Andy McGuire three years ago, I was a socially awkward college freshman at a networking event. Andy saw me standing alone, looking uncomfortable, and she immediately came over to talk with me. I had no idea who she was. I didn’t know that she was a physician or a business executive. I remember her kindness to this day, and when I heard she was running for governor, I was ecstatic because I knew she would treat every single Iowan with the same compassion that she showed me.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it is very important to me to have an ally in the governor’s office. Andy is a fierce advocate for this community and has been an outspoken critic against conversion therapy. I can’t think of a better person to fight against discrimination, strive for equality and fairness and stand against bigotry and ignorance.

There is no one better to lead the people of Iowa than Andy McGuire. She cares about people and families. She treats everyone with respect and compassion just like she treated me all those years ago. Andy has the compassion, experience and expertise that Iowa needs, and she would make a phenomenal governor.

— John Schaeffer, Ankeny

Pinky case proves ARL needs oversight

The Iowa Court of Appeals has ruled Des Moines’ dangerous animal ordinance to be “unconstitutionally vague” and reversed the city’s declaration of a dog, Pinky, as dangerous.

In March 2016, Pinky and a neighbor’s cat got into a fight. There was no human witness, but it appeared the cat was severely injured. While Des Moines’ ordinance does define any animal which causes a severe injury as dangerous, the court declared it unconstitutional because it does not allow animals to defend themselves. The court was also critical that the ordinance could apply to injuries received by a wild animal, including a bird or possum.

The court also noted that the case should have been settled, as the owner offered to remove the dog to a sanctuary, but instead, “City of Des Moines has been unwavering in its mission to kill Pinky. Two years of what must be costly litigation ensued.”

This is at least the third time in three years a court has ruled ARL Des Moines Animal Control has violated its own ordinances and the constitution. Chief District Judge Arthur Gamble determined animal control officers showed "utter disregard of the city's own procedural code.

Currently, the city council is finalizing plans to give Animal Rescue League of Iowa a multi year, multi year contract, including the construction of a new building — all while ignoring questions by residents. The process should stop until proper oversight can be put in place at ARL Des Moines Animal Control.

— Erich Riesenberg, Des Moines

Thank you, Steve King

I want to thank Iowa Congressman Steve King for being the first in Iowa to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Mary Jo Lawyer Spano Mesothelioma Patient Registry Act.

Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive and deadly cancer affecting the lining surrounding the lungs, heart and abdominal organs and is caused by exposure to asbestos. My husband died from this dreaded disease in 2016.

King’s staff in the Ames office was very attentive to my request for co-sponsorship and King was very responsive to signing on. This registry would help track mesothelioma patients, their demographics and other important information that could help identify gaps in mesothelioma treatments. Asbestos is still not banned in the United States, but an effort is underway by both the U.S. House and Senate to pass a bill permitting the Environmental Protection Agency to make the manufacture, processing, use, commercial distribution and disposal of asbestos illegal after 18 months of its passage.

Public awareness and research are keys to understanding the ongoing dangers of asbestos and helping to secure preventative measures and successful treatments for all forms of this disease. King’s support of this act is a step toward this goal and I hope that the remaining three Iowa Congressmen will soon follow suit.

— Lisa Kuehl, Madrid

Teens have a voice — and a responsibility to use it

I disagree with Maddie Smith [Time for students to get off the cameras]. She is perfectly capable — and so are most other teens — of making her voice heard, and she needs to speak out about important issues.

Some adults and some teens are wise and some are unwise. While we need to be thoughtful about what we support at any age, perspectives from different age groups are necessary and proper.

Adults have the benefit of experience, but they also make enormous mistakes. They have been behind the world’s most horrific events. Think about the Holocaust. I can’t imagine any teenagers designing a systematic destruction of millions of people. Teens and young adults may not have the experience, but they do have the passion and idealism to change unfairness. And they have.

In the '60s and '70s they were a big part of the movement for women’s rights and civil rights, and some died fighting for these values. Today you can become a lawyer, doctor, scientist, astronaut, or join thousands of other professions; you can play a competitive sport besides basketball; you can have a store credit card in your own name; you will never hear, as I did, “this job is not open to a woman.”

In those days teens and young adults were belittled, marginalized and sometimes brutalized for asking for these rights that you take for granted today. But they continued to speak out. You are living a better life because of teens and young adults from past eras. It isn’t time for your “generation to swallow a humble pill and get off the camera.” Your voice matters and you have the responsibility to use it to correct injustice for your generation and the next.

— Cheryl Long, Johnston

Iowa credit unions thank Ernst and Grassley for support of bill

Sens. Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley recently voted on a bill that will help strengthen our community.

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act is a bipartisan, common sense approach toward needed regulatory relief. It’s targeted legislation that will help loosen the grip of regulations that affect Main Street financial institutions like credit unions.

It will make the process of getting mortgage loans from credit unions easier and more straightforward for consumers. It will adjust thresholds that ensure lending regulations intended to rein in Wall Street banks do the job without overburdening credit unions and community banks. It will change how credit unions designate certain apartment loans, freeing up capital for additional small business lending, and it will provide important safeguards against elder abuse, giving greater protections to some of the most vulnerable consumers of financial services.

On behalf of Iowa credit unions and our 1.1 million members, thank you to Grassley and Ernst. We now look forward to working with House members to pass this meaningful legislation.

Gun safety education would save lives

Gun safety education should be one of our top priorities in the U.S. Students being taught at young ages about firearm safety will help them be conditioned on how to react in a situation involving a firearm.

With hands-on experience, students learn to respect a firearm without having fear of not knowing what to do with one. Recently on NBC News, a middle school in Colorado was featured for its gun safety course. They’re bringing firearms into the classroom to help reduce fear and curiosity about firearms. Then the class goes out to a local gun range to actually learn to shoot and handle a firearm with the instructors and teachers around to assist.

The NRA even has online courses; Eddie the Eagle for instance, is a program for kids in grades kindergarten through sixth grade that helps teach them the motto, “Stop. Don’t Touch. Leave The Area. Tell An Adult.”

Gun accidents have been decreasing because of safety programs.

Courses for basic safety and handling should be mandatory for the younger ages, then it could later be a choice to have a more advanced class or more hands-on experience.

— Josh Garetson, South Amana

Trump doesn't keep his promises

I read the piece “Why conservative Christians stick with Trump” with disbelief. Conservative Christians are happy with Trump? It seems like they must have thrown their ideals into the trash to support such an un-Christian man. I used to feel a grudging respect for the Christian fundamentalists as a voting bloc — they had their ideals and they stuck to them. But now they support a man who is racist, sexist, homophobic, cheating and a bully; a man so full of his own aggrandizement that he represents the opposite of Christian ideals?

The column, reprinted from the Washington Post, lists the few promises that Trump has managed to keep — a short list important to the conservative Christian Right. But beyond those few items, “He keeps his promises” loses authority. Trump has failed to deliver on most of his promises, from “repeal and replace Obamacare,” to building a “big, beautiful wall” to not governing by executive order (one of his biggest criticisms of Obama) to “draining the swamp,” which he has only made more and more murky.

Add a tax bill that primarily benefits the wealthy; his promise to release his own taxes, cutting special interests lobbying, and you are still just scratching the surface. The lies and broken promises are too long to list. Even with Republican majorities in the House and Senate, Trump's follow-through is an abysmal, historic incompetence in the office.

And I, for one, am glad that he has been so inept at fulfilling his hateful agenda.

— David Borzo, Des Moines

Hy-Vee should rethink the magazines it displays

I wandered into a Hy-Vee store that I frequent in Omaha. It has an abbreviated magazine section but still manages to have six to 10 different magazine titles that would warm the cockles of the NRA's heart. I am not talking hunting magazines either, but such topics as concealed carry, snipers, firepower and the ever popular AR-15.

Yes, tucked in on the bottom section was the title AR-15, the weapon of choice when it comes to school shootings. What I find perplexing is that three magazines away was the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, complete with the insert in front of the cover to shield the impressionable eyes from seeing a bit too much of the female anatomy.

Then there are the checkout lanes, home of the original fake news like the National Enquirer and other tabloids. Once the place you learned of Martians living next door, the checkout lane has become the source for anything negative about former President Obama and his family or the Clintons. Occasionally the subject is fat shaming some female celebrity or alerting us to the pending death of Cher for the past five years. No cards here blocking the gaze of innocents.

If Hy-Vee wants to pride itself as a family-friendly store, it needs to think twice.

As a professional consultant in sexual harassment, your headline serves to confuse and plant erroneous thoughts in people’s minds that a friendly hug between co-workers, or a teacher in comforting a student, is sexual harassment. I am not dismissing the professional boundaries between a teacher and a student. But as the court said, the teacher’s behavior, “went far beyond a teacher trying to comfort and reassure a struggling student.” The teacher engaged in numerous sexual behaviors with the female high school student in addition to the hugs.

Our employment laws and school policies do not strip away the human interaction we have in expressing joy and happiness, or comfort and compassion to and with each other demonstrated with a hug. If that were the case, how sterile and robotic our work and school environments would become.

— Kevin Pokorny, Des Moines

Pregnant women have many options other than abortion

In the April 1 guest editorial, “The women’s history Iowa lawmakers forget”, the writer focuses on what occurred prior to the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. She says that we will be “dragging Iowans back to the dark days of back-alley abortions” if abortion becomes illegal.

We must remember that was 45 years ago when times were much different. Now, we have compassionate and non-judgmental pregnancy centers that truly befriend and provide support for girls and women both during and after pregnancy. They are available 24/7 because they know it’s important to be "on call" for any girl or woman who is fearful about her unplanned pregnancy. Families and friends are so much more understanding and supportive now to help in any way they can. We have many more couples now who are yearning to adopt if an expectant mom chooses adoption as a loving choice. We have homes for unwed moms now who will help every step of the way for every expectant girl or woman who feels she is in a desperate situation.

Let us remember that having an abortion is rarely a necessary medical procedure. One cannot justify having control over one’s body if it involves taking the life of another human being. It is vital to tell all the facts regarding the choices an expectant girl or woman has — keeping the baby, placing the baby for adoption, or abortion.

Let us all support every expectant mom in positive ways as well as speaking for pre-born babies who have a right to live.

He then suggested repealing the 18th Amendment while repealing the Second, comparing the right to own weapons that can slaughter school children to the right to possess alcohol.

It’s important to point out that I was discussing amending the Second Amendment, not repealing it.

The whole point of my letter was that the more extreme the views the NRA promotes, the more appetite there is for reform.

Pointing out my error and pivoting to alcohol abuse did nothing answer my point, so I will take it that it was valid.

Guns' main purpose is to take life away from others, whether as a defense or an offense. It is not so for alcohol and cars, and drunk drivers are not causing the loss of life that thousands of students are protesting.

I grew up with duck and cover. Today's children look for places to hide from active shooters. What about their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Many, if not most, Register readers should remember how trashy Iowa's ditches were before the bottle bill. And how that deposit on bottles and cans helped rid our landscape of that trash.

Let's not scrap something that's working for Iowa.

— Rick Chapman, Des Moines

Christian Steve King supporters should reflect on their vote

Thanks to Rep. Steve King, Laura Ingraham and others like them, I now think I understand where they are coming from on at least one specific issue. Their message to us is simple: While it will always be too early after every massacre to have a serious discussion about updating our gun control laws to reflect current technology, it is never too early to mock the victims, including with racist jokes. So, people of the 4th District in north and northwest Iowa, who are you going to be?

Many of you are followers of the same savior as I am. Think about his message, the part of the world he was from and the color of his skin and the texture of his hair. Are you still comfortable with the way your vote has portrayed you personally and consistently to the nation, the world and to God?

— Lauren Holst, Cedar Falls

Is this the year Steve King is ousted?

My friends on the rightward end of the political spectrum have, it seems, lately begun to take great joy when we on the other end of the spectrum display outrage at the statements and actions of their favored politicians. Such was the case recently on the Steve King for Congress Facebook page when his staffers posted a meme designed to provoke said outrage. It worked.

What I hope King understands is that when his staffers speak on his campaign page, they are speaking for him. And this particular post chastised a 17-year-old mass-shooting victim for wearing a Cuban flag on her sleeve (Emma Gonzalez is of Cuban-American heritage).

The editorial blames Sen. Chuck Grassley, but gives a pass to other government entities such as the FBI, which seems to have political desires. I don't think there is any doubt that the ball was dropped by many entities, so there is plenty of blame to go around. The current blame tends to be the product, not the result, of the problem.

— Donald Parsons, Norwalk

Not happy with your public school? Improve it.

Regarding the recent letter to the editor, "School choice bill will hurt education in Iowa", parents do and should have the choice of public or private education for their children. However, their choice of private school is theirs alone and not a burden taxpayers should pay.

If you are not happy with your child's education at a public school, then work to improve that school. Get involved, join the PTA, meet with teachers, be part of your child's education. You have a right to send your child to private school, but not on my dime.

— Judy Avritt, Des Moines

Education Savings Account letter was misguided

A writer asked in a recent letter about Education Savings Accounts: “Does appropriate mean that the students all look the same, believe the same religiously and politically, have no disabilities, never come to school hungry and always have enough money in their school lunch account?”

I’m wondering where the writer's information is coming from. My grandson has attended two different parochial grade schools just outside the D.C. area. There is no shortage of children that do not “look like him.” While it is true that they have classes in religion, my guess is that their beliefs are in large part learned from their parents, who come from all over the world. As to their ability to pay for lunches, or number of disabled children — who knows?

I see no problem in allowing parents to choose a school for their children that reflects the values they share versus a school that teaches values and ideas antithetical to them. If an Educational Savings Account enables more families to make that decision a reality, I would think the letter writer would applaud this in the name of diversity.

— Steve Lame, Des Moines

Iowa would be wise to preserve its topsoil

Cordt Holub of Buckingham wrote in a recent letter: “ ... it’s a privilege to help preserve this rich soil. I have found on my farm that cover crops might be the answer.”

The planet is losing topsoil at an alarming rate. Iowa has a good portion of the best soil in the world with a good rain and climate regime for growing food. I applaud Holub’s values and his effort to make cover crops work on his farm. It is not a simple task. It is not always possible to make it pay.

Holub thanks legislators for Senate File 512, the water quality bill. I would like to have seen much more efficiency and funding in the bill. I do think it is a start in the right direction. I believe legislators should pass a sales tax increase to fund soil conservation by way of the Iowa natural resources trust fund. If people around the planet lose their topsoil as predicted by agronomists at Iowa State University, Iowa’s deep, rich soil will become even more valuable.

It is in the interest of all Iowans to keep our soil in place and in the hands of Iowans.

— Mike Delaney, Izaak Walton League Member, Des Moines

Students are awakening the masses

Lawmakers sit on their hands and do nothing, shooting after shooting. To expect them to do something strong in response to these situations — time has proven that's futile. These students have awakened the masses to what and how to get things done by not letting it just slip away. I hope they continue to keep it "in our faces" until lawmakers make strong laws to make it harder for everyday people to get their hands on such weapons of mass murder.

— Larry Kelley, Boone

Des Moines Ballet's 'Cinderella' was beautiful

I could not be happier with my decision to bring my wife to the Des Moines Ballet for her birthday; the talent went far beyond my expectations.

The orchestra facilitated the telling of a beautiful story. The dancers were graceful and the costumes fit the time and fairy tale. The scenery aided in completing the ability for our imaginations to be transported into the story.

I highly recommend this ballet company. It is worth the drive to see it live. If anyone reading my words knows someone who performed in the Des Moines Ballet of "Cinderella," please tell them they were fantastic!